Fallen
by TehDARKTemplar
Summary: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." – Friedrich Nietzsche Sometimes, even the best of us are consumed by the darkness within. Rated M for somewhat graphic torture scenes. Art is "Thresh" by DogaGe on deviantArt.


"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." – Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

"You are pitiful. _WEAK!"_

He collides with the jagged walls of the rocky outcropping; the spiked tips rip through his flimsy coat, and without his armor, smash their way through his ribs and spinal cord. Caught in a state between death and life the specter hacks up green fluid that glows eerily against the almost black rock that composes the floor of the cave.

Almost immediately a hand grasps his chin and shoves his entire skull backwards. A sharp _crack _reverberates throughout the enclosed space, and from the wound seeps more of the neon green substance that stains the rock.

In spite of the excruciating pain that is exploding throughout his smoky form, the specter merely smirks garishly and lets out a low, hacking chuckle. His laughter is quickly interrupted when his opponent draws a blocky firearm which he uses to crush an exposed shin. While the specter registers the new pain blossoming in his leg, he is shoved backwards. The spikes sink their teeth even deeper into his exposed skeleton, widening the already gaping hole in his rib cage.

An agonized roar is halted in his 'throat' when the gunman clamps a hand over his mouth like a vice. The grip of the gunman is honed by years of gripping the butts of various firearms and fueled by rancor laced with venom. The barrel of a firearm is jammed up the cavity that was his chests before a series of bluish-white lights erupt from the barrel, blinding him. A sensation of something akin to an inferno flares up in the inside of his chest as the lights explode in a shower of burnt bone and viridian blood.

Bubbles of agony detonate throughout his body as fireworks do in the sky: rising then exploding in an intense crescendo of noise and color, then slowly drifting away like the embers of a fire, only to be replaced by dozens more of a higher caliber. His impaled body writhes about on the outcropping, but in spite of the direness of the situation, the specter still manages to allow a spout of haunting, morbid laughter before being abruptly silenced by a shot to the jaw.

The shattered pieces of osseous matter are splattered against the cave's wall, surrounded by the neon green of blood. Before the specter can properly react to the newfound sensation of agony, the blazing eyes of the Purifier fill his gaze.

"Are you so depraved of _any_ sense of morality, of empathy, of human emotion, that you delight in your own pain? I had thought that at the very _least _you would fear your own destruction Warden, but I see now that I have given to much credit to the likes of you _monster_."

A maniacal, macabre leer appeared on the specter's face, even without the aid of teeth. "I am glad that you would think so highly of me –Purifier- it truly warms my nonexistent heart," the specter cackled," but I assure you that even I do not enjoy in pain inflicted upon myself."

The butt of a handgun whipped across his face, spewing more life fluid across the cavern.

"Then _why- _must you- laugh- so incessantly- as I try to- _destroy you_?" the Purifier howled, his sentence periodically punctuated by his pistol whipping across the Warden's face, promptly followed by a final punch to the Warden's torso.

In lieu of the flurry of blows, the Warden gurgled up more blood, doubtless from the numerous internal injuries he sustained. In spite of this, he continued to sneer, his eyes triumphantly blazing with newfound life as he gazed upon his foe.

"Because, you have just proved me triumphant."

The Purifier's eyes narrowed substantially as he gnashed his teeth hatefully. A sudden whirlwind of blows struck the specter, the increasingly powerful attacks cracking or outright snapping bone and unleashing a torrent of blood.

The impromptu show of anger ended as abruptly as it started as the gunman began to throttle his opponent, his eyes glowing with an almost manic anger as he roared," YOU ARE TRIUMPHANT? HOW IN HOLY HELL DO YOU CONSIDER YOUSELF TO BE THE VICTOR IN THIS SITUATION? ARE YOU SO DELUSION, SO OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE CORPOREAL WORLD, THAT YOU COMPLETELY DISREGARD THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE BEFORE YOU?"

A fusillade of demented giggling broke the Purifier's tirade as blood was coughed up onto his white clothing.

"You were Templar. An exemplar of light. A paragon of virtue. A protector of the meek. A bearer of truth. A being of goodwill. A knight of justice. A bringer of peace. A champion of righteousness. The archetype the epitome, the apotheosis of all that is good. You were so many things, and as a result, you were associated as being good; and yet, underneath your façade of luminous righteousness lurked a shade of darkness equal to that of mine. It just needed to be… incentivized."

Momentarily shocked into silence, the Purifier stared incredulously at his captive before convulsing into a fit of rage as he began to pummel the specter.

"YOU LIE! YOU LIE! YOU LIE! YOU- FUCKING- LIE! THIS IS FOR _HER_! FOR JUSTICE!"

The specter's unhinged laughter erupted as he reached out with his skeletal arms and halted the gunman's assault. The Templar's enraged features were brought into view, his teeth gnashing together as spittle flew out, his eyes flaming with a deep-seeded fury.

"And yet they say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, do they not?" The Warden tilted his head as he examined the plethora of emotions that flashed across the Templar's face. "Your quest may have started out as a mission for justice, but as with all things, it had a darker side. It was laced with your desire to inflict upon me the greatest amount of physical and emotional pain possible. You wanted to exact revenge, _your _revenge, on me. And gradually you grew more obsessed with that portion of your 'holy' crusade. In your blinding enmity for me, you allowed the darkness you kept so securely locked away to run rampant. And it has taken its toll. Just how many people have you threatened, killed, _tortured_, to get to little old me?"

The Warden examined his assaulter curiously, watching as the flames that burned with hellfire gradually died out, replaced by a dumfounded, horrified expression.

"You were driven by a desire for revenge, to torment me and bask in the throes of my agony. I could see that you enjoyed my anguished cries, the sight of my broken body pinioned on these spikes. Oh, how the light have fallen… What would you wife think of your shameful display?"

In an instant the fiery hate erupted back in the eyes of his adversary.

"Well then, you have won, but at the very least I will completely and utterly obliterate _you_. I will break every god damn bone in your body, pulverize every inch of you, bathe you in acid, and then _burn _you to death."

The Warden cocked his head and raised a nonexistent eyebrow. In a sudden feat of inhuman recovery, he shoved the Purifier back a good ten feet and extracted himself from his position atop the spikes. Surprised, but nonetheless still quick to react, the Purifier leaps to his feet with his guns sighted and cocked, then drops them out of shock.

Before him stands his mortal enemy without any sign of injury and fully clad in armor, his chain and lantern lazily threading through his skeletal hands at an uncanny speed.

"Did you really think that I would _allow _you to beat me at my own game, Lucian?"

Horrified and unable to move, the shadows envelop the duo, leaving only the malevolent glow of Thresh to light the area.

"_Oh what fun we shall have together."_

* * *

**I really really really REALLY wanted to make a pun based off of my name (and subsequently my favorite StarCraft unit ^^), but as you may or may not be able to tell, I didn't. Ah well. Well, I did include a reference to Shogun 2 Total War :D **

**Well anyways, please review. And it's okay if you flame this. I wrote this from like 12:30 to 2:10 in the morning . Agh, I need to sleep more… Damn… **


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